Max Verstappen’s nightmare Bahrain Grand Prix involved him having to fight back from last place and make a last-lap overtake on an ex-teammate.
Red Bull are in grave danger. The RB21 is not up to standard and is not fast enough to help their superstar deliver a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.
Verstappen finished a lowly sixth at the Bahrain Grand Prix and did well to manage such a good finish. His car wasn’t capable of anymore.
With the 2026 F1 regulations nearing, he may want to think twice about his future before committing to his team in the long run.
Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes and could join their project if he feels he has a better chance of success with them.
Some in the F1 paddock think Verstappen’s transfer is already done. They believe that he has already penned a deal with Aston Martin.
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Max Verstappen was most ‘annoyed’ with Red Bull’s slow Bahrain Grand Prix pit stops
Verstappen can’t solve Red Bull’s ‘big crisis’ and it’s now up to the team to bring effective upgrades to convince him to stay.
If not, he may have summer clauses which could allow him to leave before the conclusion of his deal in 2028 or negotiate a sooner exit if he isn’t high enough in the standings.
Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz suggested that Verstappen was most annoyed about the operational side of the team, rather than their lack of pace in Bahrain.
“I think what the Verstappens were annoyed about, what Raymond Vermeulen was annoyed about, and Max said this as well,” he said.
“Was that when everything isn’t so great on the car, at least we need to have good pit stops. Good operational things on.”
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Which team would offer Max Verstappen the best F1 deal for 2026 and beyond?
Although there are rumours that Mercedes may burst out of the blocks in 2026 with a very competitive engine, much like they did in 2014, there’s no guarantee they will be the quickest team.
Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull was a key storyline last year. Where he ended up is perhaps even more significant now.
Verstappen could accept a £206m offer to link up with Newey again and join Aston Martin, who are set to have their power units supplied by Honda from next year.
They’re incredibly slow currently, but with the recent revelation that their design genius is working exclusively on their 2026 project, there should be more confidence in their program.
There isn’t a single team on the grid that wouldn’t like to have Verstappen. The choice is pretty much his regarding where he wants to go and whether he wants to move at all.
